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Removal of Paracetamol Using Effective Advanced Oxidation Processes.
Francesca Audino1, Jorge Mario Toro Santamaria2, Luis J Del Valle Mendoza3
1Center for Process and Environmental Engineering CEPIMA, Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Escola d'Enginyeria de Barcelona Est (EEBE), Av. Eduard Maristany, 16, 08019 Barcelona, Spain. francesca.audino@upc.edu.
Photo-induced oxidation achieved complete paracetamol mineralization, while photo-Fenton offered a compromise. Both treatments, especially with high Fenton reagent loads, proved safe for water treatment applications.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Water Treatment Technologies
- Oxidation Processes
Background:
- Paracetamol (PCT) is a common pharmaceutical pollutant in water.
- Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are effective for degrading recalcitrant organic compounds.
- Fenton, photo-Fenton, and photo-induced oxidation are AOPs with varying efficiencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of Fenton, photo-Fenton, and photo-induced oxidation for paracetamol removal.
- To evaluate the mineralization of organic matter and assess treatment safety.
- To investigate the impact of different Fenton reagent concentrations on treatment performance.
Main Methods:
- Treatment of paracetamol in deionised water using Fenton, photo-Fenton, and photo-induced oxidation.
- Variation of iron (Fe2+) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations.
- Monitoring paracetamol concentration, total organic carbon (TOC) conversion, and cytotoxicity.
Main Results:
- Paracetamol was degraded below detection limits within 2.5–20.0 minutes for all treatments.
- Photo-induced oxidation achieved 100% organic matter mineralization but with a lower kinetic constant.
- Photo-Fenton with high reagent loads achieved 73% mineralization with a higher kinetic constant.
- Cytotoxicity assays confirmed the safety of photo-induced oxidation and high-load photo-Fenton treatments.
Conclusions:
- Photo-induced oxidation is highly effective for complete paracetamol mineralization.
- Photo-Fenton offers a balance between mineralization efficiency and reaction kinetics.
- Both optimized photo-induced oxidation and photo-Fenton treatments are safe for water remediation.
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